


Long Exposure: The Last of Us

by Platinum_Sun_490



Category: Long Exposure (Webcomic), The Last of Us
Genre: Angst, Hurt No Comfort, SO SAD, Sad Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 06:57:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20560130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Platinum_Sun_490/pseuds/Platinum_Sun_490
Summary: This is the prologue of a Last of Us AU for Long Exposure.It's sad. Sad doesn't even begin to describe it.This work is a gift and was inspired by Mars, the creator of the Long Exposure webcomic, and all of the writers who made a Zombie AU for Long Exposure, such as LethalTeapot and orphan_account.





	Long Exposure: The Last of Us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LethalTeapot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LethalTeapot/gifts), [orphan_account](https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/gifts).

> Ripper is considered an uncle to Freddie and Mitch, even though he is not related to them by blood.

“...and you’ve gotta talk to them, Ripper. This is the only job I’ve got, and…Yeah, I know he’s the contractor, but…” Mitch leaned his head around the wall, just enough to see his older brother, Freddie. He was arguing with Ripper about his job again, so he ran back to the living room and flopped onto the couch.

Soon, Freddie came in, rubbing his eyes. He sat down next to Mitch and asked, “What are you doin’ up? It’s past your bedtime.”

“Shit. What time is it?” Mitch asked, looking up at the clock.

“Past your bedtime,” Freddie answered.

Mitch grinned and said, “It’s still today, though.” Jumping off the couch, Mitch reached through the side of the couch and the table to pull out a small box. The nine-year old handed the box to his teenage brother, saying, “Happy birthday, asshole.”

Snatching the box away, Freddie opened it and examined the fancy, probably _ very _ expensive, watch.

“You keep complaining about your other watch, so I got you this one to shut you up,” Mitch said.

Freddie nodded, then tapped the glass face of the watch and said, “It’s real nice and all, but it-Well, it’s broken, buddy. It ain’t ticking.”

Mitch’s face fell as he grabbed the watch and jiggled it. “No no no, it can’t be broken. It-” Mitch suddenly stopped when he realized Freddie was messing with him. “You fucker!!” Mitch yelled, throwing the watch at his brother.

Freddie laughed, asking, “How were you able to afford this, anyway?”

“Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs,” Mitch joked, laying down on the couch.

Freddie grabbed the remote and turned the channel to football, saying, “Good. You can help with the mortgage, then.”

“Ha ha. You wish,” Mitch muttered.

Later that night, when the football game was done, Freddie picked up a sleeping Mitch and carried him to his room. He laid his little brother in bed and turned off the light, but not before he rubbed the kid’s head and smiled.

* * *

The telephone ring made Mitch wake up with a start. Rubbing his eye and turning on his lamp, Mitch picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“_ Mitch, it’s your Uncle Ripper. Put your brother on the phone. _”

“Uncle Ripper? What’s going on?”

“_ I can’t explain it right now, kiddo. Just put your brother on the phone right n- _” The call was cut.

Mitch grew a little worried as he put the phone back on the receiver. Stepping out of bed, Mitch walked out of his room and down the hallway, calling for his brother. He pushed the door to Freddie’s bedroom open, which was a mess, like always.

The TV was on the news channel. There was a woman speaking about some sort of explosion that had happened at a research center near the edge of the woods. Some soldiers told the woman to leave immediately, but it was too late. A flash went off and cut the connection on the camera, turning the screen to static.

A rumble sounded in the distance, making Mitch yelp in surprise and fear. He ran over to the window, just in time to see the research center go up in flames.

“What is going on?” Mitch muttered. He walked out of Freddie’s room and down to the kitchen. There, he found his brother’s phone.

It had eight missed calls from Ripper and a text from Ripper that said, “_ I’m coming to get you two. Be ready to leave. _”

Mitch set it down and slowly walked into his dad’s old study, then gasped when Freddie slid open the glass door, ran in, and slammed the door shut. “Freddie, what’s going on? Where’s Mom and Dad?” Mitch asked.

Freddie ignored his brother’s questions and asked, “Mitch, are you okay? Did anyone come in here?”

“No…Why would someone come in here?” Mitch asked. He crept toward the door, then jumped back in utter horror when a man covered in blood and wounds pounded against the door. He seemed to be shrieking unintelligible vowel sounds as he banged his body against the glass. It was Jack Miller, their neighbor.

“Mitch, get behind me!!” Freddie yelled. He held up a gun and fired a shot when Jack burst through the glass. Jack fell to the ground, dead from the shots. Blood began to pour out of his wounds and staining the floor beneath his body. It looked like it had been mauled before he came over to their house.

Mitch felt like he was going to throw up. “You-you shot him…I saw him this morning……” he muttered.

Freddie bent down to Mitch’s height and said, “Look, Mitch. I know you’re scared right now, but we need to go.” Mitch took a deep breath and nodded. He followed his brother out to the front yard, where Ripper just pulled up and leaned out the drivers window.

“Damn, boy. You’re drenched in blood,” he said.

Freddie grumbled, “It’s not mine.” Mitch climbed into the back seat while Freddie jumped into the passenger seat. Then, Freddie noticed more of those deformed people heading towards their car.

“Get us out of here, Ripper!” Freddie shouted. The tires squealed as they pulled away from the house.

“Hey, Mitch. How you holding’ up?” Ripper asked.

“I’m okay,” Mitch mumbled. Turning to his brother, Mitch asked, “Where’s Mom and Dad?”

“They……They’re waiting for us. We’re gonna meet up with them later,” Freddie said. Everything was silent, which made Mitch even more uncomfortable.

“Can we listen to the radio?” he asked.

“Sure thing, kiddo,” Ripper said. He flipped the dial a few times, but it was dead. With a growl, Ripper said, “A few minutes ago, the newsman wouldn’t shut up. Kept talking about a family found all mangled inside their house and-”

“Ripper!” Freddie said through gritted teeth. Ripper turned his head to look at Mitch, whose face had grown pale at his words.

“Sorry,” the old man muttered. They sat in silence until they got to town. People were running in fear from something, but Mitch couldn’t see what they were running from.

“Ripper, go!” Freddie shouted. “I ain’t driving over a bunch of people, boy!!” Ripper shouted back.

“There! There!! It’s clear, now go!!” Freddie said, pointing at a clearing. As they came around the corner, Mitch suddenly grabbed his uncle’s shoulder and shouted, “Look out!!”

* * *

Freddie groaned as he slowly lifted his head. The car had been flipped on its side. Shattered glass was everywhere. Kicking the viewpoint window off, Freddie climbed through and helped Ripper out.

“Mitch? Mitch, you okay?! Answer me!” he begged.

“I’m okay,” the boy said, crawling out of the car. As he stood up, Mitch suddenly winced, stumbling in pain.

Freddie caught him before he could hit the pavement and asked, “What’s the matter? What’s wrong?”

“My leg hurts,” Mitch whimpered.

“How bad does it hurt?” Freddie asked.

“Pretty bad,” Mitch answered. With a nod, Freddie lifted his brother up into his arms, bridal style, and carried him away from the wreckage. He quickly took his gun out, handed it to Ripper, and said, “Keep us safe.”

Ripper led the boys through the chaotic streets. Mitch looked around. Some people were running in fear, while others were knocking them down and...eating them?! A nearby convenience store suddenly burst into flames, sending glass everywhere. Those standing too close weren’t so lucky.

“Freddie, those people are on fire,” Mitch whispered in horror.

Freddie said, “Just keep looking at me, Mitch. Just keep looking at me, don’t look at any of that!” They came up to an abandoned restaurant and ran through the back door, but some of the people who were “turned” rammed into the door before Ripper could close it all the way.

He tried to hold them back as he shouted, “Go! You kids get out of here! I’ll hold ‘em back!!”

“What?! We’re not fucking leaving without you, you ass!!” Freddie protested.

“Just go, you got Mitch! I can outrun ‘em!” Ripper shouted.

He rammed his shoulder against the door to slow the monsters down. Freddie looked uncertain, but he ran to the front of the restaurant, saying, “We’ll come back for you!”

Stepping outside, Freddie ran past an occupied monster towards a nature trail that led to the other side of town.

“Freddie, we can’t just leave him!!” Mitch cried.

“Shut the fuck up, okay?! He’s gonna be fine!” Freddie yelled. Just then, two of the monsters began to follow them. Before they could reach the boys, they were shot down. A soldier dressed in thick camo stepped up to them with a gun in hand.

“Hey! Hey, we need help! It’s my little brother. I think his leg is broken-”

“Freeze!!” the soldier yelled, aiming his gun at them.

Freddie froze and slowly turned sideways so the gun was pointing at him, not Mitch. “Okay, we are not sick. We just need some help,” Freddie muttered.

“I’ve got a couple of civilians in the outer perimeter. Please respond,” the soldier said into a walkie talkie.

“Freddie, what about Uncle Ripper?” Mitch whispered.

Freddie turned to his brother and said, “We’re gonna get you to safety, and then we can go back for him.”

“Sir, there’s a little boy,” the soldier said. After a beat, the soldier protested, but sighed and said, “Yes, sir.”

“Look, buddy. We just need-” Freddie began.

The soldier raised his gun.

Freddie’s eyes widened in shock. He turned and began to run, but the sound of gunshots made him scream and fall to the ground. Mitch tumbled out of his arms, landing in a mud puddle. He choked on a sob as he looked up at the soldier, who was pointing his gun at him.

***BANG***

The soldier fell to the ground as the bullet entered his skull. Ripper ran over to Mitch and fell to his knees. “Kid, are you okay?! He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Ripper asked. Before Mitch could answer, a coughing sound made them both turn.

Freddie was lying a few feet away from them on his back, coughing up blood. There was a gunshot wound in his stomach and one in his chest, making blood trail down his shirt and onto the muddy ground.

Mitch scrambled over to Freddie and shook his brother’s arm, saying, “Freddie! Freddie, no no no no! Uncle Ripper, can’t you do something?! Fucking do something!!”

Ripper just stared in disbelief.

Suddenly, Freddie took Mitch’s hand and held it out. Reaching into his pocket, he placed his switchblade in Mitch’s hand. He choked on some more blood and said, “Love you, kiddo.”

His eyes seemed to lose all light as his body relaxed. Mitch gripped the switchblade, heaving heavy breaths. Ripper wrapped his arms around the kid and quietly cried, while Mitch screamed and sobbed with the last bit of energy he had.

* * *

It wasn’t a proper burial, but it was the best they could do on such short notice.

Ripper stood in front of the grave with his hands clasped behind his back. Mitch stared at his brother’s grave. The wooden cross Ripper had made was set at the front of it. Mitch had cried through the entire night as Ripper buried Freddie, and he stopped when he passed out from crying. When he woke up, the sun was coming up, shining down on the now ravaged town.

Mitch asked, “He lied about Mom and Dad, didn’t he?”

“He didn’t want you to worry, kiddo,” Ripper muttered.

Mitch looked up at Ripper and asked, “What now?”

With a sigh, Ripper situated Mitch in his arms and said, “Let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> This story killed me. I legit cried while I was writing this.


End file.
